Plans to relocate airport cargo operations from Hangar 2 on Airport Road to south of the terminal in what is largely a long-term parking lot today by September 2026 will be publicly aired Tuesday, Jan. 10.

Residents will have the opportunity to view the “conceptual plan” of the development and raise questions at a public information open house from 4 to 7 p.m. in the community room of the City Hall Annex at the Sawtooth Building in Apponaug.

“This is an open house style, you don’t have to be there the whole time,” Dawn Mineker, PE, vice president of engineering and architecture for the Rhode Island Airport Corporation said Tuesday. She said there wouldn’t be introductory remarks to the three-hour availability to view the plans and talk with airport representatives. Rather, there will be six stations where people can look at different aspects of the plan and have their questions answered.

Proposed is a 100,000 square foot cargo building, which would offer about twice the space of the hangar built in the 1940s and consolidate FedEx operations that are now spread across the apron outside the hangar. FedEx is currently using trailer trucks parked outside the hangar for storage and operational facilities.  United Parcel Service is the other major cargo operator at Green. Its sorting for pallets to be loaded into planes is largely done off site.

The plan shows space for six jets outside the cargo building facing the air field. The rear of the building would have a series of loading docks. In addition at the east end of the long rectangular building would be reserved for “feeder aircraft” or smaller planes bringing in or flying out cargo to other airports. Mineker estimates the cost of the project at $100 million.

At this point, the project is estimated to increase daily cargo operations by one or two a day for a total of six or seven daily for the foreseeable future said John Goodman, RIAC assistant vice president of media and public relations.

RIAC has direct mailed the neighborhood abutting the area as well as informed local officials of the information session. Goodman points out sound and visual barriers are proposed to shield and neighborhood.

RIAC personnel have also met with city planner and addressed concerns over a possible access and egress to the cargo facility from Main Avenue.  He said the design calls for operations to take place on RIAC property with vehicles entering and leaving the facility from the Airport Connector. He noted this could have a positive impact of reducing Airport Road traffic.

Mineker said the informational session is a step in the environmental assessment required for the development to proceed.  She anticipates possible questions over the impact on air quality, biotech resources, cultural resources, noise, traffic, visual effects and water resources.

According to the tentative schedule, the design and permitting of the facility starts this month and would carry through September 2024 at which point construction would start.

Asked whether he had any reservations about the development, City Planner Tom Kravitz repeated Tuesday, the city’s major issue was the possible use of Main Avenue which RIAC has addressed.

At this point, Goodman explained, RIAC has not defined a use for the future possible use of Hangar 2 or existing cargo facilities. He said they possibly could be used for general aviation.

The cargo facilities would be built by RIAC and leased.  UPS and FedEx are the anticipated tenants. Information was not available on whether RIAC has finalized leases at this point.